This invention relates to interactive communications, and more particularly, to a system, method and apparatus for communicating in a distributed network via instant messages.
One of the more beneficial aspects of the Internet, aside from the vast array of information and content sources it provides, is the varied and newfound ways people can now communicate and stay in touch with one another. Users all around the world, or even just around the corner, may now communicate in a relatively low cost and efficient manner via a myriad of Internet facilities including electronic mail, chat rooms, message boards, text based instant messaging and video teleconferencing.
These methods of communication offer distinct advantages over standard communicative methods such as paper based mail and conventional telephone calls. For example, facilities like electronic mail are typically considerable faster and cheaper than these conventional methods of communication. Rapidly escalating in popularity is text based instant messaging which offers more instantaneous gratification with respect to interactive communications between two or more users.
However, one main problem with presently available forms of text based instant messaging and facilities like electronic mail is that both text based instant messaging and electronic mail are still both somewhat impersonal, especially compared with something like conventional telephone conversations where vocal intonation, tone and feedback provide a much needed flavor of humanity and personality to the communications. Text based instant messaging and electronic mail also typically require the users to have access to input devices such as keyboards to facilitate the creation and transmission of messages to one user from another. The quality of such communications thus depends heavily on each user's typing speed, accuracy and network connection quality of service. Furthermore, users without access to input devices such as keyboards may find it very difficult to conduct meaningful conversations without have to endure tedious keystroke input procedures.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a way to communicate with other users in still an efficient and quick manner but with a more personal touch than provided by other modes of electronic based communications. It would be further desirable to be able to communicate with other users on multiple devices and be able to keep track of the users on these multiple devices so that communications are not lost in the network. It would also be further desirable to be able to have users on multiple devices receive messages at their currently active client device.